Zambales fishers seek safe seas beyond Panatag

Zambales fishers seek safe seas beyond Panatag

SUBIC, ZAMBALES, Philippines — Randy Almares Malit, 45, has spent most of his life at sea. Like many fisherfolk from this coastal town, he once cast his nets in the rich waters of Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, locally known as Bajo de Masinloc—until China seized control of the lagoon in 2012 and made it a no-go zone for Filipinos. Since then, Malit and hundreds like him have been forced to venture farther into uncertain and often dangerous waters…